Auli’i Cravalho

Moana 2

30/11/24

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Moana wasn’t a smash in cinemas when it was released in 2016 (at least not by Disney standards) but it went on to develop a massive following once it started streaming. This belated sequel was itself originally intended to go straight to the small screen, but an executive decision decreed that it should first have a theatrical release and it appears to be doing far better than anyone expected.

It’s three years after the events of the first film and Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is still a Wayfinder, mounting regular expeditions to try and find other tribes to connect with, but the evil god Nalo remains determined to keep the many nations of Polynesia divided. Pretty soon, Moana reconnects with demi-god, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and she chooses an odd crew to accompany her on a new quest, a search for the cursed island of Motofetu, which has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. They are: eager young follower, Loti (Rose Matafeo); grumpy farmer, Kele (David Fane); and hunky Maui-worshipper, Moni (Hualalai Chung). Of course, comic relief comes in the form of the chicken and the pig, who are along for the ride – but I have to confess to growing tired of their repeated pratfalls fairly early on.

As with the first film, the animation is utterly spectacular, the evocations of nature incredibly accomplished – and I love the fact that the story is deeply rooted in Polynesian folklore. But the middle section feels strangely cluttered as Moana has to contend with the Kakomora – a tribe of er… coconuts – and she spends a lot of time in the bowels of a giant clam, much of which comes across as a kind of weird, hallucinatory goo-fest. The various goings-on are supposed to be clear to young audiences, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only adult present, who – at various points – completely fails to understand what’s going on and why the characters are doing what they’re are.

A brief interlude where Moana interacts (and sings) with a malevolent ‘bat-lady’ called Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) is a welcome highlight – it also helps that this antagonist has a face – and I’d like to have seen more of her. (I probably will in the inevitable Part 3.)

Moana 2 has a PG certificate and warns only of ‘mild threat’ but some of the younger viewers at the packed screening I attend are clearly a bit distressed by the darker elements of the story. I’d say this is more suitable for kids aged seven and above but, whatever it’s doing, it seems to be going down a storm and it’s clearly going to generate massive profits for the House of Mouse.

3.8 stars

Philip Caveney

Mean Girls

20/01/24

Cineworld, Edinburgh

It’s 10.30 on Saturday morning, and we’re already at the cinema, settled in for the day’s first screening. Because who’s got the patience to wait for a musical reboot of Mean Girls? Certainly not us.

We re-watched the 2004 original last night and were surprised at how fresh it felt. Sure, there were a few (quite a few) wince-inducing ‘of-its-time’ moments, but overall it was still funny, smart and subtly subversive.

As you’d expect, this 2024 version – based on the 2017 Broadway musical adaptation and directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr – has been cleverly updated. Not only do we have social media, we also have a more diverse cast. Cady has been living in a country (Kenya) rather than a continent (Africa), and Janis is actually allowed to be gay.

For anyone who’s been living under a (30) rock, Tina Fey’s sassy script is a high school comedy/coming-of-age tale. Teenager Cady (Angourie Rice) has just arrived in the USA from Kenya, where her zoologist mum (Jenna Fischer) has been conducting some research. Previously home-educated, Cady is desperate to go to school, to mix with other kids and find out what she’s been missing. But the transition isn’t easy. High school is a jungle too, and Cady doesn’t know the rules of this new territory…

Initially befriended by happy misfits Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), Cady soon comes to the attention of The Plastics – a trio of vacuous ‘popular’ girls at the top of the social pecking order. Much to everyone’s surprise, queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) invites the gauche newcomer to hang out with them. It’s flattering to be asked so, when Janis suggests seizing the opportunity to infiltrate the group and feed back any intel, Cady doesn’t take much persuading. She soon finds that she actually likes Regina’s acolytes, Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika) – and that she wants to please Regina too.

When Cady falls for her calculus classmate, Aaron (Christopher Briney), Regina reveals her mean streak by seducing him, and Cady’s own dark side comes into force. She, Janis and Damian wage war on Regina, determined to topple her – and make Aaron dump her. But Cady enjoys wielding her new-found power just a little too much, and before she knows it she’s sacrificing her real friends. Has she actually become a Plastic?

Mean Girls 2024 has all the verve and wit of the original and the musical numbers (by Jeff Richmond) really work, dialling up the histrionics and highlighting the humour. Rice is delightful in the lead role, and it’s great to see the original Cady, Lindsay Lohan, in a cameo. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their roles of Ms Norbury and Mr Duvall, and this works extremely well. Indeed, Fey looks almost exactly the same in both movies (I guess there’s an ageing picture in an attic somewhere). The supporting roles are more fleshed out here too, and I like learning more about both Karen and Gretchen.

I’m a little sad that the fat-shaming hasn’t been eradicated, that the nastiest trick Cady and her friends can play is to make a girl gain weight. Worse, the extra pounds Regina’s carrying actually have a greater impact in this incarnation, as the Plastics’ dance routine is ruined because she’s too heavy to lift. This feels like a blind-spot in an otherwise fabulous film.

It’s not enough to spoil things though. The new Mean Girls delivers just what it’s supposed to: a couple of hours of lively, well-crafted and eminently quotable fun. “Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen!”

4.3 stars

Susan Singfield

Moana

05/01/16

Moana is the name of a young Polynesian girl, the daughter and heir of a chief. Her father wants her to take his place one day, and can’t bear the idea of her leaving Motonui, their beautiful island. But Moana is fixated on the ocean and what lies over the horizon, and it seems her destiny lies elsewhere. All becomes clear when her grandmother explains that Moana has been chosen by the ocean to find the demigod Maui and help him return the goddess Te Fiti’s heart, which he had stolen a millennium before. Moana sets sail, and so the adventure begins.

It’s a wonderfully animated film, with some absolutely gorgeous seascapes in particular. Te Fiti is also beautifully rendered, her transition from goddess to island a delight to see. And the story is engaging, especially once Moana tracks down Maui and their odd-couple interplay begins.

The music works well as a soundtrack, and never feels wrong, but neither is it especially memorable; none of the songs sound like they’d have a life outside the film. And some of the tropes feel a little too well-worn: comedy animal side-kick? Check. Contemporary Americanised dialogue? Check. Cheesy final message: just be yourself? Yawn. Check.

Still, overall this is a very watchable movie, and certainly one that will entertain the kids. Is it up there with the best Disney animations? Not really.

3.6 stars

Susan Singfield